Sunday, 27 January 2013

When Is It Time To Say Goodbye To Your Makeup?

I find it really hard when I have to throw some sort of cosmetic away. And when it's in a pretty container, I swear my eyes water a little. But there will come a time where something just gets so old that you need to toss it out. So here's the question: When is it time? Here are some tips on when you need to say goodbye!

Eyeshadows
My lovers, my babies, my necessities. Those colours, how will I be able to let go of them? Suck it up, Mandy. Do you want to wear old eyeshadow? Ew, no.
Cream eyeshadows can last 3-6 months, depending on how much sunlight and air they are exposed to, and powdered shadows can last up to a year. It's really important that you take good care of your eye products because if you wear an old shadow or liner for too long you are putting yourself at risk for an infection. Been there, done that. Not fun.

Eyeliners
Liquid eyeliners are the same as the cream shadows. After about 3 months, you should start thinking about throwing them away. Pencil liners can last about a year or so. If you are paranoid about how much bacteria is on your liner, opt for pencil liners instead of the self-sharpening ones. When you sharpen them, it removes some if not all bacteria that is on it. Foundation and Powder
Foundation is great to have around, but isn't always the cheapest cosmetic out there. But it's a good thing that some foundations can last almost a year. I once saw on the Marilyn Denis show that if your foundation starts to smell weird or is a different colour than when you first put it on, it's time to throw it away. Since we sometimes put our fingers in our foundation, we are increasing the risk of adding bacterias, so make sure you watch how long you keep this product around!
Powders can last anywhere from 1-2 years. Since it has a small water content, there is less of a chance of bacteria growing on it.

Lipstick, gloss, and liner
Lipsticks and glosses have a long life, but since they have a bigger water content they can be home to more bacteria than powder. I recommend not having it for more than 14 months.
Lipliners are the same as the pencil eyeliners- if you want to avoid as much bacteria as possible, opt for the pencil liners.

Mascara
I always make the mistake of keeping my mascara for waaay too long. It gets all sticky and thick and really clumps up your lashes. Mascara probably has the largest water content of all cosmetics, so it's been said that buying a new tube every three months is the best thing to do. To avoid a lot of air entering your mascara tube, swirl it around while taking your wand out rather than pumping it.

As you can see, taking care of your cosmetics is extremely important for your skin! I had an eye infection a few months back because I was wearing old mascara and eyeliner all day... and then I forgot to remove it before going to bed. Seriously, I could not see out of my left eye for about 2 days.